Draft-gear.



J. 'F. COURSON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 16. 1914-.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

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JOHN F. COURSON, OF PITCAIRN, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRAFT-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

Application filed July 16, 1914. Serial No. 851,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. OotmsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pitcairn, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Gears, of which the following is a specification. v

My invention consists of an improvement in friction draft gears for railway cars, etc, and has for its object to provide a draft gear of simple construction and high efficiency, designed to utilize the wedging and releasing qualities of friction creating wedge blocks, a central bufiing member, a suitable shock absorbing member, and cooperating parts connected with the drawbar, arranged to effect the desired results, either in buffing or pulling, as hereinafter described.

A particular object of the invention is to provide, in a gear of this type, means for transmitting rearward strains to the car. framing through an interposed shock absorbing device, as a friction or spring gear, or both, either in buffing or pulling. In the construction herein illustrated and described, this efiect is produced by means of double acting wedge members and the centralbufiing wedge, adapted to communicate pressure rearwardly to the shock absorb-V ing member, in combination with an em-' bracing wedging box or housing connected with the drawbar.

In the accompanying drawings, showing preferred constructions, Figure 1 1s a hor1-' Zontal sectional View of the complete draft 7 gear assembled, the parts being in normal extended position, thesection being indicated'by the line I. I. of Fig. 2., Fig. 2 1s a longitudinal vertical section of the gear,

' indicated by the line II. II. of Fig. 1.: Fig.

3 is a transverse sectional view, indicated by the line III. III. of-Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View, similar to Fig. 1, showing the action of the gear in pulling. Fig. 5 is a collective detail view in perspective, showing the co-acting compound wedges for engagement with the wedge box and central bufling wedge. Fig. 6 is a simi lar view of the wedge box. Fig. 7 is a-longitudinal sectional view, partly. in elevation,

showing the application of the wedging mechanism to an ordinary buffer spring.

, In the-drawings, 2 represents the drawbar of the coupler fixedly connected with thewedge box A by atransverse key 3 extending through theirear end'of the drawbar and by its terminals through the slots 4 of connecting links 5. Said links are connected bv slots 6 with the lugs 7, extending outwardly at each side of the wedge box A. Lugs 7 are preferably-provided with rearwardly extendinglips, as shown, whereby to overlap the rear ends of links 5 and prevent separation of theparts.

Extending transversely of the center sills a and through openings therein are the j cross bar members or keys 8, slmilar cross bars9 being secured-to the sills .a in any suitable manner, as by riveting These keys ,8 and 9 define by their inner faces guiding ways forthe drawbar 2, and also provide, by their rear edges, bearingsfor the transverse follower 10. "Said follower is preferably provided above and below with overlapping lips 11, embracing the keys 8 and 9, and at their rear with lips 12, adapted v to receive the compound wedges 13,13, which cooperate with the wedge box A. Wedges B are provided at their outer middle-portions with longitudinal recesses 13 for reception of the links 5, and above and below such recessesare widened, providing "for the wedge faces 14 which co-act' with the interior wedge faces 15.0f wedge box A.

At their inner sides wedge members Bare provided with inwardly extending wedge members 16 having inner oppositely; diver ing faces .17, adapted to co-act with ,the wedge faces 18 of the central bufling wedge member 19. Said'bufling wedge member extends through an opening 20 centrally of 1,

wedge box A, and backwardly to operative position with relation to the shock absorbing.

elements of the shock absorbingmember vD; Said member, which maybe ofany suitable construction, embodying spring gearor friction gear mechanism, or both, is rear wardly of the mechanism just described, between the center sills a, a, and abuts by its rear end directly against a transverse block or abutment 21 and is supported in position by any suitable means, as a strap 22. I

Central buffing wedgelQ, asshown, is provldedwith rear wedge faces co-acting with the wedge mechanism of member D,

not necessarily herein described, and wedge box A is provided with rearwardly extend ing lugs 2t engaging the front edge portion of member 7D and firmly bracing there+ against in bufling strains. Central buffing wedge member 19'interfitting between faces 17 of wedge member 16 of elements B, is preferably provided with extensions 25, whereby to maintain it centrally in position between the top and bottom walls of wedge box A.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modified construction in which the parts corresponding to those above described are similarly marked with the exponent In such construction, a shock absorbing spring D abuts rearwardly against. the transverse bearing 21 and is engaged at its front by the rearward extension 2i of wedge box A, connected by links 5 with the drawbar 2". Wedge box A, in such construction, co-acts wit: the compound wedges B in the same manner as above described, said wedges bearing by their front ends against the follower member 10.

The operation of the invention is as follows: In buliing, follower 10 is thrust backwardly, carrying with it wed-ges'B, against the inwardly converging faces 15 of wedge box A, thus effecting inward and approach ing movement toward each other of wedge members Thereupon their faces 17 acting on faces 18 of central buffing wedge 19, thrust it backwardly, compressing the resisting mechanism in member D, and transmitting strains rea-rwa-rdly therefrom to the carf-raming. In pulling, forward travel of links 5, as in Fig. 4, by drawbar 2, draws we'd ge box A forwardly, its Wedge faces 15 engaging faces l-i of wedges B, causing them to approach each other, and effecting by their faces 17, acting on faces 18 of central Wec ge block 19, rearwardly of said member, transmit-ting rearward movement to member I) and the car framing in the same manner. It will thus be seen that with either bufling or pulling, and independent of the construction of the shock absorbing member D or 1), either operation will e-Eect rearward action against such member and resulting transmission of the strains uniformly in a rearward direction.

- It will be understood that the angle of inclination of "the several wedge members is a matter of design or adjustment to be determined by the varying'conditions in application or service of the gear, and that all such features or details of construction, or others, are within the province of the skilled mechanic and intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

The gear in its entirety is very compact and powerful, composed of few parts, and is easily installed or removed, and develops a very high capacity in opposition to either normal or abnormal shocks incident to car service.

What I claim is: 1. In a friction draft gear, the combinatlon with car framing, of a shock absorblng element adapted to transmit strains to the car framing, a drawbar, and intervening coacting face-to-face wedge mechanism embodying plural faced wedge members, some of said members having alternating overlapping portions, a central buffing wedge, an embracing wedge box, and means connecting said box to the drawbar.

2. In a friction draft gear, the combination with car framing, of a shock absorbing element adapted to transmit strains to the car framing, a drawbar, and interveningcoacting face-to-face wedge mechanism embodying plural faced wedge members, a 'central buffing wedge, an embracing wedge box, and links connecting the wedge box with the dra-wbar.

3. In a friction draft gear, the combination with car framing, of a shock absorbing element adapted "to transmit strains to the car framing, a drawbar, transverse stops, a follower, laterally movable wedges abutting forward-1y against the follower, a -co-'aicting wedge box embracing said wedges, means connecting the wedge box and 'tlrawbar, and a central member adapted to transmit movement from :the laterally movable wedges to the sl-rock absorbing element.

l. In a friction draft gear, the combination with car framing, 'of a shock absorbing element adapted to transmit strains to the car framing, a drawbar, transverse steps, a follow-er, laterally movcble wedges abutting forwardly against the follower, a co-acti'ng wedge box embracing said wedges and abutting rearwardly against the shock absorbing element, means connecting the Wedge box and drawbar, and a central member adapted to transmit movement from the laterally movable wedges to the shock absorbmg element. v

In combination, a shock absorber opera-tivelv mounted in car framing, 'a drawbar, a follower, transverse stops, and wedge mechanism between the follower and the shock absorber comprising a wedge box connected to the drawbar, plural co-acting wedgeswithin the wedge box, and a central buf'fing wedge engaging said wedges and extending rearW-ardly through the wedge box and engaging the shock absorber.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses. JOHN F. COUBSON.

Witnesses:

G. M. CLARKE, FREDK STAUB.

Gopiei; of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents. Washington, D. C. 

